Method and apparatus for stripping articles from molds



. 1944- E. c. KASTNER 2,365,764

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR STRIPPING ARTICLES FROM MOLDS Filed March 6,1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 1

INVENTOR.

BY #Qmj Wed/m WZafimc 1944- E. c. KASTNER 2,365,764

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR STRIPPING ARTICLES FROM MOLDS Filed March 6.1942 s Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 56 @M T HAM Dec. 26, 1944. c, KASTNER2,365,764

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR STRIPPING ARTICLES FROM MOLDS Fil-ed March 6,1942 5' Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VENTOR.

1944- E. c. KAsTNER 2,365,764 A I METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR STRIPPINGARTICLES FROM MOLDS Filed, March 6, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

Dec. 26, 1944. E. c. KASTNER ,7

METHOD AND APPARATU FOR STRIPPING ARTICLES FROM MOLDS Filed March 6,1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

6W Wa k BY @a/(ea: me,

both mold members.

Patented Dec. 26, 1944 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR s'mrrrnvc' an'rrcnasmomMOLDS Edward C. Kastner, Fair-lawn, Ohio, assignor to The Akron StandardMold Company, Akron,

Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application March a, 1942, Serial No.433,555

37 Claims.

Thi invention is concerned with the stripping of articles from separablemolds and has been developed especially with reference to rubber a1.-ticles to be stripped from vulcanizing molds. The

primary object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus forso stripping the article that it shall be effectively released from themold without danger of injuring the article. This danger is particularlynoticeable with the stripping of non-skid tires or other articles havingprojectlon on the surface, the projections tending to cling within theindividual recesses leading from the main cavities in both mold membersand receiving a shearing stress as the mold members separate.

In the stripping of non-skid tires from vulcanizing molds, it has beenproposed to shift one mold in a straight path obliquely with referenceto the other in their separation. While this may help as to certainregions of the tire, nevertheless such oblique movement applies anundesirable stress to portions of the tire in regions which areapproximately parallel to the direction of the oblique movement, andthis may cause an injury to the tire in suchregions.

I avoid the unequal action on the article being stripped by giving onemold a circular translation with reference to the other during theseparating action, but while the article is in contact with By circulartranslation" I mean such movement of a member bodily that an infinitenumber of points thereof trace circles about an infinite number ofcenters, in contradistinction to a rotation" where every point (exceptthose coincident with theaxis) travels about the same center. Thiscauses the shifting to take place against all portions of the article,so that the article in effect rolls out of its mold cavities and isgradually and easily stripped from the -mold members, enabling acomplete separation of suchmembers without injury to the article.

In my invention, I not only give the circular translation toone moldmember, so that all points thereof move in identical orbits, but Iprovide an initial shifting of the mold in an arcuate path, so that he'orb it of any point surrounds the original positiongo'f that point, andthus the stripping is efiective 'as to the entire periphery of thearticle. whichrotates in the direction opposite the orbital movement. a

My invention includes such a method of stripping articles-from theirmoldsby causing one mold member to have an orbital movement withreference to the other mold member, and also the step of initiallyshifting one of the mold members to select the locus of the orbitalmovement, so that it may act against the entire periphery of the articleto be stripped. My invention includes' also suitable apparatus forcarrying out this method and especially the apparatus of the generalcharacter illustrated in the drawings" hereof and hereinafter described.

In such drawings, I have shown two embodiments of the apparatus, thefirst embodiment being shown with reference to moldsfor rubber tires andthe second with reference to molds for a set of balls. It is to beunderstoodthat the apparatus of the first form may have its. moldsformed with a set of cavities for balls or other individual articles andthe apparatus for the second form may have an annular cavity for a tire,if desired.

In the drawings, Fig. I. is a side elevational view of a tirevulcanizing press embodying the stripping mechanism of my invention,parts being broken away to illustrate the construction more clearly;Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the tire press; Fig. 3 is a verticalsection taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectiontaken on the line ii of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, butshowing the parts in a diflerent position; Fig. 6 is a section taken onthe line t-t of Fig. '1, and an associated diagram of the moldsstripping movement; Fig. '7 illustrates an alternative form of press,embodying a, modification of the stripping device of my invention; Fig.8 is an end elevation of the press of Fig. '7; Fig. 9 is a partial topplan view of this embodiment; Fig. 10 is a vertical section taken on aline iliit of Fig. 8 but showing the molds relatively offset, as duringthe stripping action; and Fig. 11 is in the nature of a diagram toillustrate relative motion ofsome of the parts.

In theembodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, a base it andmovable head i i are provided which carry the usual lower and uppermolds, i2 and iii respectively, for the curing of a tire A therein, themolds having steam jackets (not shown) if desired.

Although the present invention is independent of the particular meansfor opening and closing mold is shifted in its own plane.

I! is driven from a motor ll, through intermediate gearing l8, andoperate as a crank to raise and lower the head II by means of a link II.The link is pivoted to the gear l at l8 and the head II at I9. At thelower extreme position of the link l1, illustrated by the broken linesIla, the molds are completely closed, and at the upper extreme positionllb, the upper mold has been completely opened, as indicated by brokenlines at l lb.

The angular position of the head II is controlled by a cross shaft 29secured by bracket 2| to the head. The shaft slide in a vertical slot 22in a bracket 23 carried by the frame l0. and is positioned by means of'alinkage driven from the bull gear l5. \A crank arm 25 is pivoted at 28at the rear of the frame and is adapted to be reciprocated by means of alink 2'8 between its free end 28 and the pivot ill of the link H on thebull gear. A push rod 30 extends between the free end 28 of the crankarm and the cross shaft 20 before mentioned.

The arrangement described is such that when the link I! is in itslowermost position the crank arm 25 will be lowered to a pointcorresponding to the lowermost position of the cross shaft 20. At thistime the upper mold is parallel to and clamped against the lower mold.As the bull gear is rotated by the motor I! in opening the press, thelink 21 will cause the crank arm 25 to swing upwardly and thereby toraise the cross shaft 20. As the link I! is at the same time raising thepivot IQ of the head, the upper mold is maintained very nearly parallelto its closed position. This action continues until pivot it! reachesits on-center position l8a and, from that time on, the link 21 returnsthe crank arm 25 to lower the cross shaft 20.

As the pivot IQ of the head is being raised and the cross shaft 20 isbeing lowered, the head is tilted more and more until it reaches itsfinal position llb. To close the press the motor I! is reversed and theparts returned through the same cycle in the opposite direction to theirformer positions.

In the embodiment being described, my invention particularly relates toa means for imparting motion to the upper mold during the raisingmovement just described, whereby such The shifting movement is such thatthe mold remains laterally parallel at all times to its originalposition, but each point thereof describes a path which may be termed atfirst arcuate and then circular, the combination being approximatelyspiral. During the arcuate portion of the movement, the upper mold ismoved laterally from its normal position of registration with the lowermold a definite distance, and then during the subsequent movement eachpoint of such mold describes a circle about th original position of thatpoint as a center.

A tire which is within the mold, and which is to be stripped therefromby the movement just outlined, is first cramped between the upper moldat one end of a diameter and the lower mold at the other end of thatdiameter, and is thereby forced from the lower mold at the first end andfrom the upper mold at the'other end of that contracted diameter as maybe seen by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. Then, in efiect, the diameter ofcramping is caused to rotate, so that all parts of the tire are inturnstripped from their respective molds.

The action described'may take place as soon as the register of the twomolds has sumciently cleared, immediately after the initiation of theraising movement by the press operating mechanism, and may continue asthe upper mold continues to move upwardly, or the molds may be given aninitial separation and then stopped while the shifting action takesplace to release the tire from the mold, whereupon the raising action isresumed to swing the upper mold out of the way, enabling the operator tolift the tire from the press.

It will be understood that the tir illustrated has the usual non-skidtread which must be forced out of engagement with the protuberances andribs in the molds, but that once having been forced therefrom thetirewill lie freely on top of the lower mold.

The mechanism which causes the peculiar shiftof the upper mold will nowbe described. Mounted on the head II is a motor 40 which, through a wormgear unit 4|, drives a cross shaft 42 carrying pinions 43 at its ends.Each pinion meshes witha bevel gear 44 which, in turn, through aforwardly extending shaft 45 and bevel pinions 46 and 41, drives asimilar bevel gear 48. The

arrangement is such that all four bevel gears are rotated in the samedirection and drive similar mold Shif in units at the four corners ofthe head. Only one such unit will be described.

As best seen in Fig. 3, the bevel gear 48 is keyed to a sleeve 49 whichis rotatable in a standard 50 bolted to the head. Such standard maycarry the bearing bracket 5| for the shaft 45 and bevel pinion 4l.Rotatable within the sleeve 49 is an eccentrlcally carried shaft 52projecting above and below the sleeve. At its lower end the shaft 52carries an eccentric foot 53, keyed thereto as at 54 and supportedthereby by means of a groove in the shaft and a split ring 55 therein.The foot 53 is circular and rotatable in a bearing in a plate 56 towhich the upper mold I3 is secured. The plate and moldare supported bymeans of an annular shoulder 51 on th foot and hence hang from the foureccentric shafts 52.

Due to the equal eccentricities e-e of the shaft 52 within the sleeve 49and of the foot 59 upon 'the shaft 52, the foot 53 in its normalposition,

shown in Fig. 3, will be aligned with the sleeve. Thus, rotation of thesleeve by the bevel gear 48 will have no effect upon the position of theplate 56 as long as the shaft 52 merely revolves with the sleeve aboutthe sleeve axis, and the parts thus rotate as a unit. In this normalposition the upper mold is in registration with the lower mold. If,however, the shaft 52 be kept from rotating, by means later to bedescribed, while the sleeve 49 is turned, the shaft will receive acircular translation and the foot 53 will be moved laterally and thusshift the plate 56 and mold It is important that the angular position ofall four shafts 52, with respect to the head, be the same at all times,so that the mold I3 may be brought into accurate registration with thelower mold. I, therefore, interconnect these shafts by providing fourbevel gears 59 which are keyed near the upper ends of the respectiveshafts 52 and interconnected by bevel pinions BI and shafts 62. Thiscauses the rotation of all four bevel gears 50 to be in the samedirection and of the same amount. The shafts 62 are mounted in thebearing brackets 63 carried at the upper ends of the respective shafts52, and thus the entireinterconnecting system may be moved laterally asa unit.

The shaft M is supported in a vertical direction by means of a groovenear its upper end and a split ring 99 therein which bears on th uppersurface of the gear 99.

As previously mentioned the foot 99 isshifted laterally by rotating thesleeve 99 while maintaining the eccentric shaft 52 non rotational. Toprevent rotation of the shaft 92 due to friction between it and thesleev 49, I provide a stop in the form of a spring-pressed plunger 19which is carried by the bevel gear 99 and adapted to engage a notch H inthe hub 12 of the bearing bracket 89. The plunger I9 has a pivotalconnectlon at 13 on the gear and is constantly urged in an inwardlyradial direction by two lateral springs 14 as shown in Fig. 2.

At the start of the operation, the plunger 19 is facing in the directionillustrated by dotted lines at 19a in Fig. 2. As the motor 49 rotatesthe sleeve 49, the friction between the sleeve and shaft 52 will causethe latter to revolve about the sleeve axis and the plunger to slidearound the bracket hub 12 until it reaches the notch II. The springwhich backs up the plunger is sufflciently strong to overcome the effectof the frictional drive and, therefore. arrests the further rotation ofthe shaft 52. Further rotation of the sleeve 49 then shifts thev shaftand the foot 53 bodily to shift the mold;

It willbe noted that if the operation just described were allowed tocontinue, that is, if the shaft 52 were held stationary while the sleeve49 rotated, the foot would be shifted laterally the maximum amount, 2e,and thence brought back to original position, this cycle being repeatedas long as the sleeve 49 continued to rotate. Means. however, areprovided which maintain the foot at its maximum extension when thatposition has been attained, and upon further rotation of the sleeve 49the foot, therefore, acts as a crank to shift the mold in a circularpath with a radius equal to the extension.

To cause the shaft 52 and bevel gear 69 to revolve with the sleeve 49,and thereby to maintain the extension of the foot, I provide lugs 89 andBI, on the hub of the bevel gear 69, which are adapted to be engaged bya pin 82 carried by the sleeves 49. At the end of a previous operationthe pin 82 moved the lug 89 to some such position as that shown in Fig.4 in dotted lines, and now at the start of the present operation, aspreviously mentioned, the sleeve 49 and shaft 52 are rotated asa unitdue to the friction therebetween. They thus together reach the position89, 82 shown in full lines in Fig. 4, at which time the plunger 19reaches the notch II and further revolution of the gear 69 and shaft 52is arrested. Upon continuing rotation of the sleeve 49, the pin 82leaves the lug 89 and travels in the direction of the arrow through 180.until it reaches the lug 9!, as shown in Fig. 5. During this halfrotation of the sleeve the eccentric shaft 52 travels through asemi-circle, as indicated by the dotted arrow a in Fig. 5, and asindicated also in Fig. 6. Since the four eccentric feet 53 are keyed tothe four shafts 52, each of them is shifted non-rotationally through asimilar semi-circle, as is every point in the plate 56 and the uppermold l3.

After the pin 82 contacts the lug ill the gear 99 and shaft 62 will becaused to rotate as a unit with the sleeve 49. In so doing, the spring15 of the plunger 19 is overcome and the plunger is snapped over centerto the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2 and thereafter rides alongthe surface of the hub it, and, whenever in the course of its travel, itagain reaches the notch ii, it is simply dragged past it without eilect.

As the eccentric foot is now at its full extension and rotating as aunit with the sleeve 99,

a similar circle about its original position as a V center.

The motion described is illustrated particularly in Fig. 6 wherein theoriginal position of the foot 53 is shown in broken lines at 53, and theposition at which it reaches its maximum extension after having traveledthrough the small semi-circle is shown in broken lines at 53a. Asubsequent position of the foot after it has traveled about the largecircle is shown in full lines at 531).

It will be seen that every point of the shiftable mold, such as thatindicated at P in Fig. 6, is caused to leave its original position at cto travel through the small semi-circle a and then about the largecircle babout its original position as a center. As previouslymentioned, this action causes the diameter of cramping of the tire torotate, and thus all parts of the tire are effectively stripped frointhe mold. In effect the tire is rolled out of both the lower and uppermolds and is thus gradually freed therefrom until it may be lifted offby the operator.

After the stripping of the tire, the eccentric feet 53 are againreturned to their normal position illustrated in Fig. 3, so that the twomolds will be in register when again brought together. To effect thisthe motor 49 is reversed and the sleeve 49 is thus caused to rotate in areverse direction. The pin 82 now no longer provides a drive for thegear 59 and the shaft 52 but, due to the friction between the sleeve 49and the shaft,

they rotate as a unit. The plunger 19 at this.

time is still in the angular position illustrated in full lines in Fig.2 and is sliding along the hub 12 in a forwardly facing direction. Whenthe foot 53 reaches the dotted line position 53a, Fig. 6, the plunger"engages the notch H in the hub and further rotation of the gear 99, andthus of the foot 53, is arrested.

During the succeeding of rotation of the sleeve 49, the foot is causedto retrace the small semi-circle a and reaches its normal centralposition. At this time, the pin 82 contacts the lug 89 on the hub of thegear 69 and thereafter the sleeve 49 and the shaft 52 rotate as a unit.The

plunger spring 15 is overcome and plunger 19 is snapped over center fromthe full line position to the dotted line position of Fig. 2 andthereafter travels around the hub at that angle.

As the foot 53 is now concentric with the sleeve 49, continued rotationthereof has no further efgins to open the stripping mechanism will heput in operation.

Alternatively, a starting witch 99 for the motor 40 may be provided asillustrated in Fig. 1 and adapted to be contacted by a dog 9|, securedto the bull gear I5, a short time after it has left its originalposition 9| a. As the bull gear continues to rotate, the press isgradually opened as previously described, and the stripping operation iseffected by the motor 40 and the above described mechanism. Thereafter,the dog 9| may contact a switch 92, which operates to reverse thedirection of the motor 40.

After sufficient time has elapsed for the parts to be retumed-to normalcondition, and the up.- per mold returned to its'registering position,the dog 9I may contact another switch 93 which operates to stop themotor 40 before the head II has reached its fully opened position.

The dog III may be urged by a spring 94 against a, fixed stop 95 on thebull gear, so that during the subsequent closing of the press the dogmay ride idly past' the various switches and return to its formerposition 9Ia.

A modification of my invention is illustrated in Figs. 7 to 11 inclusivewherein the arcuate and circular motion is applied to a press shown asadapted for the curing of rubber balls. As there shown, upper and lowermolds, I and IM respectively, are supported on a base I02 and may betightly clamped in registration by stirrup clamps I03. The molds areprovided with a plurality of individual mold cavities I04 for the ballsand may be steam jacketed as illustrated at I05. The upper mold I00,which rests upon a pin I06 when in'closed position as will later be morefully described, is pivoted at I01 and provided with a counter-weightI08 and may be unclamped and swung to an upper opened position, asillustrated in broken lines in Fig. 8, for access to the balls.

In this embodiment it is the lower mold which is shifted to cause thestripping of the balls from the mold. The lower mold is supported solelyby two eccentric spindles which are journalled In the base. The twospindles are similar and one only will be described. As best seen inFig. 10, a spindle I I0 is journalled at III in the base I02 andprovided at its lowerend with a worm gear II2 which may be driven aslater described. The spindle is sup ported by an annular shoulder II3which bears upon the upper surface of the base and is Drovidedthereabove with an eccentric or offset portion II 4. The off-set portionII4 has a coarsepitch thread I I5 adjacent the upper end and extendingfor approximately half the length of the olTset portion. Pinned to anupward extension of .the offset portion II4, above the thread, is acollar I I6 which carries the stud I06 previously mentioned. The studI06 is concentric with the lower portion IIO of the spindle andtherefore the-upper mold I I0 is fixed as regards any lateral shiftingrelative to the base.

To support the lower mold 0n the spindlea sleeve II'I having aneccentric bore H8 is journalled on the eccentric portion I I4 of thespindle, the upper portion of the bore being threaded to engage thethread H5. The sleeve H1 is rotatable within a supporting bracket I I9attached to the lower mold IOI, and is restrained from relative axialmovement therein by an annular shoulder I20 at the upper end of thesleeve and by the hub of a sprocket I 2I keyed at the lower end of thesleeve.

Rotation of the sleeve within the bracket may be prevented by restrainton the sprocket I2I. A chain I22 passes around the sprocket and around asimilar sprocket at the other end of the press and, intermediately,engages a. sprocket I" journalled on the lower mold. Secured to thissprocket I33 is a friction brake I34 operable by means of a handle I35convenient to the operator. Thus rotation of the sprocket I2I and of thesleeve III relative to the lower mold can be arrested at anytime byapplication of the brake.

The press of the present embodiment is manually operated, and for thispurpose, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, is provided with a crank I40 pinnedto a shaft I4I journalled on the base. Also keyed to this shaft is agear I42 which meshes with a pinion I43. The pinion is pinned to a shaftI44 which extends the width of the press and is provided at its oppositeend with aflywheel I45. Keyed to this shaft I44 are two worms I46 whichmesh with the worm wheels II2, before mentioned as secured to the twospindles IIO. Rotation of the two spindles in thesame direction may thusbe obtained by operating the crank.

Rotation of the spindles causes the lower mold member to be drawndownwardly from the upper mold member and to be given the same arcuateand circular lateral shifting motion described for the upper mold memberin the first embodiment of this invention. The eccentricity of thesleeve II! with respect to the bore H8 and that of the offset portionII4 with respect to the spindle III are equal, as indicated by thedimensions e-e, Fig. 10 (showing an abnormal position), and, therefore,in the normal position of the parts the sleeve is concentric with thespindle IIO. At this time the upper and lower molds I00 and IIII are inregistration,' and the registers I50 and I5I ensure accurate alignmentof the parts.

-'When' at the end of the curing process the balls are to be. freed fromthe molds, the brake I04 is applied to the chain I22, and hence thesleeves I'I'I are held against movement relative to the lower moldmember. The crank I40 is now turned to rotate the spindles. As thespindle turns through the, first 180, the sleeve, and hence every pointin the lower mold, is shifted laterally along a semi-circle with aradius equal to the eccentricity e, as indicated at small I in Fig. 9.

At the start of the relative movement between the sleeve Ill and thespindle, a shoulder I on the collar II6 leaves engagement with a pin I51carried by the sleeve. After a half revolution of the spindle, a secondshoulder I56 on the collar II6 contacts the pin I51 and establishes adrive between the spindle and the sleeve I IT.

The operator now releases the brake I34, and

thereafter rotates the spindle and sleeve as a unit by the crank. As thesleeve has been shifted outwardly a distance equal to 2e, the centerthereof now describes a circle with 2e as a radius, and, hence, everypoint in the lower mold does likewise, as indicated at g in Fig. 9. Theparts are illustrated in Fig. 9 in the positions they assume immediatelybefore the first half revolution of the spindle has been completed.

In addition to' the lateral shifting of the lower mold, the rotation ofthe spindle also operates to separate the upper and lower mold a slightamount. Referring to the threaded engagement between the spindle and thesleeve at II5, it will be apparent that there is no axial movementbetween the parts as long as the spindle and sleeve rotate as a unit.However, at the start of the operation, as the spindle is making itsfirst half revolution while the sleeve is held stationary, the sleevetravels downwardly along the spindle and thus draws the lower mold awayfrom the upper. The registers I50 and I5I are thus disengaged 'arrow atthis point.

' As the molds are relatively shifted, the balls within the cavities arecramped between'a portion of the upper mold and the portion ofthe lowermold diametrically opposite, thus forcing the balls away from theremaining portions .of the mold. As the shifting progresses along thecircular path the diameter of this cramping is rotated, in effect, sothat all portions of the ball are eventually loosened from the mold.

A further effect of the circular shifting "of the lower mold is to benoted. Referring to Fig. 11, the ball B indicated at broken lines, isillustrated as being cramped between the right hand portion of the uppermold I and the left hand portion of the lower mold IOI. Now, since allpoints of the lower mold travel in mutually parallel paths, and sincethe center of the lower mold is at the right hand portion of its traveland is moving toward the top of the sheet, the point B on the lowermold, which is at the end of the minor axis of the compressed ball andhence is in flrmest contact with the ball, is also moving toward the topof the sheet, as indicated by the Hence the ball itself is urged in thatdirection in the region of contact. As the shifting continues, aneighboring point B becomes the point of flrmest contact with the balland, as it is then moving in the direction of the arrow at that point,the ball is urged in the same direction as before.

The additive effect of the circular movement of all the points on thecircumference of the mold cavity thus causes the ball actually to rotatewithin the mold on its own axis and in a direction opposite to that ofthe circular shifting of each point of the lower mold. The action isanalogous to that of a pair of meshing spur gears where, though onerotates clockwise and the other counter clockwise, the successive pointsof contact move in the same direction. Thus if there has :been a patternmolded into the surface of the ball the projecting parts of the ball arecaused to leave the respective recessed parts of the mold and are notpermitted to become again enlodged therein, so that the freeing of theball from both of the molds is insured.

beenillustrated as embodied in a press for molding rubber balls, it willbe apparent that it can be applied to molds for various other obiects,including rubber tires. The stripping actions due to the rotation of thediameter of cramping and the rotational effect on tne molded articleillusv trated in Fig. 11 are present in both the first and secondembodiments herein illustrated, and result in the release of the moldedarticle from the mold, irrespectiveof the particular form of thearticle. Such stripping action however, is especially advantageous witharticles which are deeply indented or grooved, as is the case withnon-skid automobile tires.

It will be observed that while the specific details of the twoembodiments shown vary greatly from each other, they have in common apair of coacting molds separable from each'other and a pair or eccentricmembers, one carrying the other, and acting on one of the mold membersto shift it laterally relative to the other member a short distance(compared to the width of the cavities of the molds) and thereaftercausing every point of the shifted mold to travel in a circular path,the radius of which is the amount of lateral shifting. However, thedisclosure of two quite different embodiments carrying out thisoperation should not be considered as an enu- When the balls have beenstripped from the molds thecrank I40 is turned in the reverse directionand the brake is applied to the chain I22. The spindle and sleeve H! arethus relatively rotated, the shoulder I56 leaving the pin I51, to shiftthe sleeve along a semi-circle until it again reaches its concentricposition relative to the spindle lit. At the same time it is caused totravel upwardly on the threads I l5. After a halfrevolution of thespindle the shoulder H55 engages the pin I51 and, upon release of thebrake, the spindle and sleeve may rotate as a unit without furtherefiect on the position of the lower mold. Due to this reverse operationthe lower mold has been brought back to registering position andelevated so as to be ready for reengagement with theupper mold when thepress is subsequently closed.

While the present form of the invention has meration of all embodimentscontemplated but, on the contrary, as a demonstration that my method maybe performed by widely diii'erent mechanisms, 1 do not intend to limitmyself to the details of either-embodiment shown, though each 01 saidembodiments are of my invention and are specifically claimed in some ofthe subordinate'claims on the apparatus.

I claim:

1. The method of stripping articles from molds containing the samecomprising the steps of engaging the article on diametrically oppositeregions and progressively changing the regions of contact between thearticle and molds in a circumferential direction while the molds areseparated a comparatively short distance.

2. The method of stripping articles from separable molds comprisingseparating the molds and during the period of separation cramping thearticle between a point on one mold and a diametrically opposite pointon the other mold, and simultaneously advancing said points in the samerelative direction.

3. The method of stripping articles from sep- 5 arable molds comprisingseparating the molds and giving every point of one of the molds cir-' 5.The method of stripping an article from separable molds comprisingseparating the molds, and while they are separated a distanceinsuficient to discharge the article moving every point in one of themolds laterally to a new position,

and then causing each of said re-positioned points to travel about itsoriginal position as a.

center. v

6. The method of stripping articles from cooperative cavities inseparable molds comprising separating the molds a comparatively shortdistance while maintaining them substantially parallel with each other,and while the molds are thus separated but while both are in contactwith the article moving every point in one of the molds laterally in anarcuate path to a new position and then causing each of saidre-positioned points to travel in an orbit about its original position.

7. In the method of stripping articles from separable molds, the stepsof moving every point in one of the molds to a new position out ofalignment with its original position and then causing every point of oneof the molds to travel in a loop about a perpendicular to the meetingplane of the molds while both molds maintain contact with the article.

8. The method of stripping articles from separable molds comprisingseparating the molds by moving one of them away from the other whilemaintaining it substantially parallel to its original position andgiving the movable mold a circular translation in its own plane while itis being separated from the other mold and while both mo ds maintaincontact with the article.

9. The method of stripping an article from coacting cavitary moldscontaining the same com-' prising displacing one of the molds by amovement which causes every point thereof to travel through asemi-circle and then while both molds maintain their contact with thearticle causing every point of said displaced mold to travel aboutacircle the radius'of which is the diametric chord of said semi-circle.

10. The method of stripping articles from separable molds comprisingseparating the molds by a continuous movement and during this movementand while both molds maintain contact with the article giving an orbitalmovement to various points about different perpendiculars to one of themolds a circular translation in one direction, thereby causing thearticle to rotate'in the opposite direction.

12. The method of stripping tires from a pair of coacting molds havingannular cavities comprising separating the molds a less distance thanthe width of the tire and while the molds are thus separated giving oneof the molds a movement such that diiferent points of the mold travelaround different perpendiculars to the face of the mold while the tireis in contact with both molds, and thereafter separating the moldsfarther to enable removal of the tire.

13. The method of stripping non-skid tires from a pair of coacting moldshaving annular cavities with individual recesses in the walls thereofcomprising separating the molds slightly, then giving one of the molds amovement about a perpendicular to the face of the mold and while thetire is in contact with both molds.

14. The method of stripping non-skid tires from coacting cavitary moldscomprising moving one of the molds laterally to carry it out of reg-,istration with the other mold and then giving it a circular translationto cause each point of that mold to move about the former registeringposition of such point as a center while the tire is in contact withbothmolds.

15. The method of removing non-skid automobile tires from twocooperative cavitary molds members, one'above the other in a vulcanizingpress, comprising separating the mold members, and while they areseparated a materially less distance than the width of the tire and aremaintained substantially parallel to their original positions giving oneof the mold members a displacing movement laterally 01' the other moldmember and then a circular translation in one direction,'thereby causingthe tire to rotate in the opposite direction and free itself from bothmold members, and thereafter completely separating the molds, leavingthe tire resting by gravity on the lower mold member.

16. An apparatus for stripping articles from cooperating moldscomprising means for separating the molds insufliciently to entirelyfree the article and means for moving one of the separated molds in apath which causes several points of each mold to travel in circuits eachdiilerent perpendicular to the face of the mold.

17. The combination of a pair of coacting cavitary molds, mechanism forseparating the molds, and mechanism for giving one of the molds acircular translation while the molds are separated.

18. An apparatus for forming articles and stripping the same from theforming members comprising a pair of coacting. cavitary molds, mechanismfor moving one of the molds away from the other to increase the distancebetween their meeting faces, mechanism for shifting one of the moldmembers transversely of the other, and mechanism for thereafter givingone .of the members a movement such that each point thereof travels in apath surrounding that perpendicular to the meeting plane which passesthrough the originally registering corresponding point on the othermold.

19. The combination of a pair of coacting cavitary molds, mechanism forseparating the molds, and mechanism for shifting one of the molds in itsown plane relative to the other mold and for giving the shifted mold acircular translation.

20. An apparatus comprising a pairof coacting molds having matingcavities to receive an article, mechanism for moving one of the moldsaway from the other, shifting mechanisms engaging one of the molds in aplurality of regions,

and means for operating said shifting mechanisms simultaneously to shiftthat mold so that every point in each engaged region loops about adifferent perpendicular to the face of the mold.

21. The combination of a pair of coacting cavitary molds, mechanism forholding them in 00-, operation with the molds closed and for moving oneaway from the other, means for giving a circular translation to one ofthe molds when they are separated, a motor geared with said means,

and means operating'in timed relation with the opening and closingmechanism of the press for starting the motor, for reversing it, and forstop- Ding it.

23. The combination of a pair of mold members separable from each otherand having cooperative mold cavities, mechanism for separating said moldmembers while maintaining them substantially parallel with each other, aplurality of eccentrics peripherally engaging one of the mold membersand having their axes perpendicular to lacunae the mold face, and meansfor simultaneously operating said eccentrics during the period ofseparation to give that mold member a circular translation in planeparallel with its parting face.

24. In a stripping apparatus, the combination of a stationary frame,rotatable spindles carried thereby having eccentric portions, 9. pair ofmold members, one of which is stationarily carried and the other ofwhich is mounted on the eccentric portion of the spindles, the axes ofthe eccentric portions being substantially normal to the face of themold member in which they aremounte'd, and means for rotating thespindles to give a circular translation to the latter mold member.

25. The combination of a pair of coacting cavitary mold membersseparable from each other,

' tion in its own plane, comprising a sleeve, a shaft mountedeccentrically in a sleeve and having said portion outside the sleevewhich is eccentric to the portion within it, and means for causing thesleeve and shaft to'turn as a unit and for causing one of them to turnwhile the other is stationary.

27. A molding and stripping apparatus comprising a pair of coactingmolds separable from each other and a pair of eccentric members, onecarrying the other, and both acting on one of the mold members, means toturn one of said eccentric members relative to the other to shift one ofthe mold members laterally relative to the other member a short distance(compared to the ,width of the cavities of the molds) and means actingthereafter to turn the two eccentric members as aunit to cause everypoint of one of the molds to travel in a circular path, the radius ofwhich is the amount of lateral shifting.

28. A vulcanizing press comprising a pair of coacting cavitary molds, aframe stationarily supporting one of the molds, a movable head forsupporting the other mold, mechanism for moving the movable head towardor from the other mold, a set of shafts carried by the movable head withtheir axes substantially normal to the face of the mold carried by thehead, an eccentric on the end of each shaft engaging the movable moldmember and means for simultaneously turning the respective shafts.

sleevsrotatably mounted in said movable frame member, a. correspondingplurality of shafts eccentrically iournalled in the sleeves, eccentricheads on the ends of the shafts engaging and supporting the movable"mold, mechanism for simultaneously turning the sleeves, a mechanismsimultaneously acting on the shafts for prevent- 29. In an apparatus forstripping formed articles from cavitary molds containing the same, thecombination of a pair of mold members, means for separating them whilemaintaining them substantially parallel to each other, a plurality ofparallel shafts, each shaft having an eccentric portion coacting withone of the molds, sleeves in which the shafts are eccentricallyjournailed, and mechanism for rotating theshaft and sleeve as a unit andfor rotating one of them independently of the other to give an initialshift to the movable molding member and then to gyrate it bodily incircular paths.

30. In a vulcanizing press, the combination of a pair of molds, astationary frame member carrying one of the molds and a movable frameing them from turning while allowing them to be shifted bodily by theturning of the sleeves.

31. In a vulcanizing press, the combination of a pair of molds,a'stationary frame member car!- rying one of the molds and a movableframe member carrying the other mold, a plurality of sleeves rotatablymounted in said movable frame member, a corresponding plurality ofshafts eccentrically journalled in the sleeves, eccentric heads on theends of the shafts engaging and supporting the movable mold member,gears on the respective sleeves, driving mechanism. meshing with saidgears, gears on therespective shafts, connecting mechanism between thelatter gears to insure their simultaneous action, and drivingconnections periodically engageable between the sleeves and the shafts.

32. A vulcanizing press comprising a frame, stationary mold membercarried thereby, a movable head carried by the frame, opening andclosing mechanism mounted on the frame and ineluding a crank and apitman connecting it to the head, a set ofshafts carried by the head,eccentrics on the lower ends of saidshafts, movable mold member carriedby said eccentrics and coacting with the stationary mold member,mechanism for turning the shafts to shift the movable mold, a motor, andgearing between the motor and shafts, whereby the movable mold membermay be caused to bodily shift in an orbital path during the separationof the mold members.

33. In a-vulcanizing press, the combination of a frame, a movable headcarried thereby, a pair of cavitary molds mounted in the frame and headrespectively, mechanism mounted on the frame and head for holding themin cooperation to close the molds and for moving the head away from theframe to separate the molds, a set of sleeves rotatably mounted'in thehead, a set of shafts eccentrically mounted in the sleeves, heads on thelower ends of the shafts eccentric thereto and rotatably mounted in theupper mold member, a motor on the head geared with the sleeves forrotating them simultaneously, mechanism for causing the shafts to turnwithin the sleeves,

mechanism operating in timed relation with the opening and closingmechanism of the press for starting the motor, for reversing it, and forstopping the motor.

34. In an apparatus for stripping elastic articles from cooperatingcavitary molds, the combination of a pair of cooperating molds, a pairof sleeves rotatably mounted in one of the molds at the opposite endsthereof, a frame, a pair of spindles mounted in the frame havingeccentric portions occupying the sleeves, a sprocket chain looped aroundsprockets on the respective sleeves,

a brake for controlling the sprocket chain to vent rotation 01' thesleeves, and means for rotating the spindles.

36. In a stripping apparatus, the combination oi a frame, rotatablespindles carried thereby having eccentric portions, threads on theeccentric portions of the spindles and nuts with which the threadscoact, a pair otmold members, one of which-is movable said nuts beingjournalled in the movable mold member and means for holding said nutsagainst rotation, whereby the rotation of the spindles may eilfect theseparation oi the molds, and give a circular translation to one oi themold members.

37. In a stripping apparatus, the combination or a frame, uprightspindles rotatably Journalled assures therein and having eccentricportions, a pair of superposed mold members, the lower one of which allmounted on the eccentric portions or the spincentric extensions arejournalled in the upper mold member, whereby the upper mold memberremains stationary while the lower mold member descends and shifts in anorbital path.

EDWARD C. KABTNER.

